Systems and methods for bulk wagering with remote viewing

ABSTRACT

Certain embodiments provide systems and methods for bulk game play a gaming environment. Certain embodiments allow a player to place a bulk play wager in a gaming environment. Certain embodiments generate game play results in accordance with the bulk play wager. Certain embodiments generate an identification of the game play results. Certain embodiments provide the game play results for later replay based on the identification.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to, and claims the benefit of, ProvisionalApplication No. 60/865,552, filed on Nov. 13, 2006, and entitled“Systems and Methods for Bulk Wagering with Remote Viewing.” Theforegoing application is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to bulk wagering, and more particularly relatesto systems and methods for bulk wagering with remote viewing in a gamingenvironment.

In certain jurisdictions, gambling is illegal outside a casino or othersimilar gaming environment. Additionally, in certain jurisdictions, evencasino gambling is illegal. Thus, systems and methods allowing gamingwhile accommodating a wide variety of jurisdictions and laws would behighly desirable.

Additionally, potential game players may not have sufficient timeavailable to play a desired number of games. Potential players maysimply be passing through a gaming establishment. Players may have theirgame play interrupted for meals, shows, etc. Players may wish tocontinue their gaming experience after they return home. Thus, systemsand methods allowing expedited game play would be highly desirable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments provide systems and methods for bulk game play agaming environment. Certain embodiments allow a player to place a bulkplay wager in a gaming environment. Certain embodiments generate gameplay results in accordance with the bulk play wager. Certain embodimentsgenerate an identification of the game play results. Certain embodimentsprovide the game play results for later replay based on theidentification.

Certain embodiments provide a method for bulk play in a gamingenvironment. The method includes allowing a player to place a bulk playwager with a gaming device in a gaming environment. The method alsoincludes generating game play results in accordance with the bulk playwager without displaying the game play results to the player at thegaming device as the game play results are being generated. For example,at a gaming machine or terminal in a casino, the player may place a bulkwager of $100 to play 100 spins of the game. A processor produces gameresults in response to the bulk wager and stores data representing theresults and any net win the player may have in a data structure forfuture replay by the player at, for example, their home computer. Themethod further includes providing an identification of the game playresults for later use by the player. Additionally, the method includesstoring the game play results for later replay based on theidentification.

In certain embodiments, the method includes crediting winnings from thegame player results to an account associated with the player, forexample.

Certain embodiments provide a gaming system facilitating bulk wagering,game play generation, and later replay. The system includes a gamingdevice or terminal allowing a player to place a bulk play wager for bulkplay and later replay of at least one game. The gaming device orterminal generates game play results via the gaming device in accordancewith the bulk play wager without displaying the game play results to theplayer at the gaming device as the game play results are beinggenerated. The system also includes an identification of the game playresults. The identification is generated by the gaming device or aperipheral associated with the gaming device to identify the game playresults for later use by the player. The gaming device stores the gameplay results for later replay based on the identification.

Certain embodiments include a remote viewer adapted to replay the gameplay results for the player, for example.

In certain embodiments, the bulk play wager includes a number of playsof one or more specified games and a wager amount to be spent on theplays.

Certain embodiments provide a computer readable medium having a set ofinstructions for execution on a computer. The set of instructionsincludes an input module accepting a bulk play wager by a player. Theset of instructions further includes a processing module generating gameplay results in accordance with the bulk play wager without displayingthe game play results to the player. The set of instructions alsoincludes an outcomes module providing an identification of the game playresults for later use by the player. The processing module stores thegame play results for later replay based on the identification andverifies player authorization to replay the game play results based onaccess by the player using the identification. Additionally, theprocessing module replays at least a portion of the game play resultsbased on the identification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a gaming system providing bulk play wagering inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram for a method for bulk play wagering inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a gaming system arranged to implement a probabilistic gameof the type wherein several symbols from a set of symbols are randomlydisplayed and a game outcome is determined on the basis of the displayedsymbols.

FIG. 4 illustrates a gaming system in the form of a stand alone gamingmachine.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of operative components of a typical gamingmachine which may be the same as or different to the gaming machineshown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplarymemory.

FIG. 7 shows a gaming system in accordance with an alternativeembodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a casino network system used in conjunction with anembodiment of the present invention.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description ofcertain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understoodwhen read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose ofillustrating the invention, certain embodiments are shown in thedrawings. It should be understood, however, that the present inventionis not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in theattached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments allow a player to make a bulk play wager at a gaminglocation, such as a casino or kiosk located in an authorized locationsuch as a casino. The bulk play wager may include a wager amount to bespent on a number of plays of one or more games. For example, a playerat a casino makes a bulk play wager of $100 on a Queen of the Nile slotmachine at max bet for a selected X number of spins such as 50 spins. Atthe time of the bulk play wager, a number of plays of the specifiedgame(s) are run according to the amount of the wager. For example, thesystem runs the X spins. Data representing the plays and pays forwinning outcomes are stored with respect to the player at a datastructure. For example, the data is stored in a player account, such asa personal banker or player tracking/loyalty account. The player isprovided with a reference to the bulk play, such as a stub, referencenumber, data and time, player card number, personal identificationnumber or a reference is transmitted to a player device such as a cellphone, PDA or the player's home computer or the like. Thus, the wager,wins and losses occur in the gaming environment. Inasmuch as a processorcould process the plays in a very short time the player may make hisbulk wager and receive his corresponding play identification “stub” injust a few moments. All of the wagering and pays would then have takenplace in a regulated environment with the player being given theopportunity to view the individual or selected plays at a later time andfrom a remote location. For example, the player can later access awebsite, interface program and/or other results review program to viewthe stored outcomes on a remote device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a gaming system 100 providing bulk play wagering inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system 100includes a gaming terminal 110, a kiosk 120, an account manager 130 andan external system 140. The components of the gaming system 100 may beimplemented separately and/or in various combinations in hardware,software and/or firmware, for example.

A gaming device, such as the gaming terminal 110, kiosk 120 and/orexternal system 140 may be used to place a bulk play wager, for example.At the gaming terminal 110, kiosk 120 and/or external system 140, aplayer can make a selection to make a bulk wager to play one or moregaming terminals 110 and/or server-based games, for example. In certainembodiments, games are allowed for bulk play if no intra-game decisionsare made by the player (e.g., bonus round outcomes are randomlyselected). In other embodiments games may include intra-game decisionswhich are made by the controlling processor according to a predeterminedstrategy. For example, a player could make a bulk wager on a video Pokergame and the hold/discard strategy would be predetermined according to,for example, one or more best play strategy(s) exercised by theprocessor. In certain embodiments, the external system 140 may include aweb browser, for example, enabling a player to place a bulk play wagervia a website.

The gaming terminal 110 may include a slot machine, a video Pokermachine, and/or other electronic gaming machine.

For example, a player selects a bulk wager option and wagers $100 toplay 50 games (at a maximum wager per game) of a configured Queen of theNile Hyperlink® game. The wager may be placed using cash, credits,promotional credits, credits from a Personal Banker® or other financialaccount, etc. The account manager 130 may facilitate maintenance of oneor more accounts based on the wager. Upon acceptance of the bulk wager,the gaming terminal 110 or server runs 50 spins of the game and storesthe individual outcomes and wins in the player's established or assignedaccount, for example. The account may be centrally stored, locallystored and/or implemented on a card, such as a smart card or magneticstrip card, for example.

In certain embodiments, account information may be monitored and/orstored by the account manager 130 in conjunction with a player loyaltysystem, a slot and player accounting systems such as Aristocrat's OASISCasino Management system and/or the system described in co-pendingapplication Ser. No. 11/459,232, and the like.

After accumulating the outcomes, the player is given a reference, suchas a slip, coupon, card, number and/or other reference. The referencemay be a physical slip. In another embodiment the reference (or results)may be sent directly to the player's personal computer, cellulartelephone, PDA or other device. From another location, such as home orthe office, the player can access a website or other interface, forexample, such as via external system 140, to retrieve and play thestored bulk plays. The individual or selected (e.g. winning) plays maybe replayed at the player's computer, personal digital assistant,television, phone, and/or other remote viewer. The player is able tomake the bulk wager and receive wins in the regulated environment of acasino. The player merely “replays” the games from a remote location.

Video or other multimedia presentations may be played to the user whileviewing the replay of the games to enhance the entertainment experience.As another alternative, a self-contained binary may be executed toprovide replay to the user.

In certain embodiments, the system may be configured or selected by theplayer to skip losing outcomes and only play winning outcomes, forexample. For example, the player only sees and replays the hands/spinsthat he or she won. In certain embodiments, promotional materials and/ormessages may be displayed during replay of the outcomes such asadvertising for the casino where the player made the wager.

The player may then collect the winnings from his or her account in avariety of ways, such as collecting at a casino, electronic fundstransfer, and/or the like. For example, a player's Personal Banker®account, credit card, bank account, player loyalty account, casino/hotelaccount, etc., may be credited for the winnings. In certain embodiments,such an account may be credited with winnings immediately following gameexecution at the casino and prior to the player's viewing of theresults. In an alternative embodiment, winnings may be credit to anaccount at the time of actual game execution but not released to theplayer until the results have been replayed and acknowledged by theplayer.

At a kiosk 120 the player may also be able to place a bulk wager. Forexample, at a kiosk at the casino, the player may choose to play 50hands of video Poker at a maximum wager per hand. The player inputs thefunds for the bulk wager such as cash, credit, or funds transferred froman electronic account at the casino. A processor for the system accessesthe video Poker game library and processes 50 hands, using draw/holdrules according to one or more stored strategies which are known in theart, to render 50 outcomes. The outcomes are stored in a data structureand any win(s) or the net win or remaining funds from the bulk wager areloaded to the player's electronic account at the account manager 130 atthe casino This play of the hands may appear to the player to be almostinstantaneous. The kiosk then provides the player with a ticket orreceipt indicating the casino, date and time, amount of the wager andthe like along with a reference number. The player from a remotelocation such as when the player gets home, can use their computer toaccess the casino and get access to the player's account to call upreplay of the 50 games (or just the winners). The replay will show theplay of each hand, the outcome and the increase/decrease in credits. Atthe end of the 50 plays the player will be informed how much moneyremains from their original bulk wager and that those funds have beenparked to the player's casino account.

During the replay of the hands, advertising or other information may beprovided to the player by the casino to develop player loyalty,advertise casino goods and services and entice the player to return.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram for a method 200 for bulk playwagering in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Atstep 210, a player places a bulk play wager at an authorized station.For example, a player places a bulk play wager at a gaming kiosk orother station in a casino. At step 220, the bulk play is executed. Forexample, a gaming server in communication with the kiosk or stationexecutes a selected number of plays of a game in correspondence with thebulk play wager amount. At step 230, bulk play results are stored. Forexample, bulk play results are stored in a memory, such as a card, aserver, a database, etc. At step 240, winnings are credited to anaccount. For example, winnings from the bulk play are added to a playeraccount and/or other credit/financial account. In certain embodiments,winnings may be divided among multiple accounts and/or credit meters,for example.

At step 250, a receipt corresponding to the bulk play is given to theplayer. For example, a ticket with a code identifying the bulk playrecord stored on the gaming server is printed for the player at thekiosk. A ticket or card may be generated including a bar code, magneticstrip, memory chip, etc., containing bulk game play results, a bulk playaccess code, computer instructions for execution and/or replay of thebulk game play, and/or processing power to facilitate bulk game replay,for example.

At step 260, bulk play results are replayed for the player. For example,the player accesses a gaming website from a home computer and enters thecode on his or her ticket. The player's bulk play results are madeavailable to the player for replay via a web browser or otherapplication, for example. In certain embodiments, the player may choosewhich plays to replay (e.g., only winning plays, a certain number ofplays, etc.).

In certain embodiments, the player may choose from multiple games and/orset of games for replay. In certain embodiments, the player may chooseto replay portions of one or more games over time. For example, a playermay select to replay certain hands of a game at one time and then playadditional hands in a later viewing. As another example, a player mayselect to replay one of a plurality of games in a first viewing andanother of a plurality of games in a second viewing.

Certain embodiments may be used and/or implemented in conjunction with avariety of gaming systems and/or environments. For example, referring toFIG. 3, certain embodiments described may be used in conjunction withgame play and operation of a gaming system 10. The gaming system 10includes a memory 12 arranged to store symbols data 14 indicative of aplurality of symbols for subsequent display to a player, function data16 indicative of one or more functions allocatable to the symbols, andgame instruction data 18 indicative of game instructions usable by thegaming machine 10 to control operation of the game.

The gaming system 10 also includes a symbol selector 20 which isarranged to select several symbols for display to a player and in somegame circumstances to select one or more symbol to which a function isto be allocated. In this example, the selection carried out by thesymbol selector 20 is made using a random number generator 22.

It will be appreciated that the random number generator 22 may be of atype which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seednumber, and that in this specification the term “random” will beunderstood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random.

The gaming system 10 also includes a function selector 24 arranged toselect one or more functions for allocation to one or more symbolsselected during the special game circumstances, and a function allocator26 arranged to allocate the or each function selected by the functionselector 24 to one or more symbols selected during the special gamecircumstances. The function selector 24 may be arranged to randomlyselect a function or to select a function on the basis of a predefinedrule.

The gaming system 10 also includes an outcome generator 28 which inaccordance with the game instructions 18 determines game outcomes basedon the symbols selected for display to a player by the symbol selector20, and on the basis of the function(s) allocated to one or moreselected symbols, if any.

In the embodiments described below, the symbol selector 20, the functionselector 24, the function allocator 26, and the outcome generator 28 areat least partly implemented using a microprocessor, although it will beunderstood that other implementations are envisioned.

The gaming system 10 can take a number of different forms. For example,a gaming system may refer to a slot machine, a video poker machine, orother electronic gaming machine.

In a first form, a stand alone gaming machine or kiosk is providedwherein all or most components required for implementing the game arepresent.

In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some ofthe components required for implementing the game are present in aplayer operable gaming machine or kiosk and some of the componentsrequired for implementing the game are located remotely relative to thegaming machine/kiosk. For example, a “thick client” architecture may beused wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gamingmachine and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gamingserver; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of thegame is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a playeroperable gaming machine is used only to display audible and/or visiblegaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from theplayer.

However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisioned.For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming machine orkiosk is networked to a gaming server and the respective functions ofthe gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. Forexample, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machinemode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the gamebeing played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will beapparent to persons skilled in the art.

A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine 40 isillustrated in FIG. 4. The gaming machine 40 includes a console 42having a display 44 on which is displayed representations of a game 46that can be played by a player. A mid-trim 50 of the gaming machine 40houses a bank of buttons 52 for enabling a player to interact with thegaming machine, in particular during game play. The mid-trim 50 alsohouses a credit input mechanism 54 which in this example includes a coininput chute 54A and a bill collector 54B. Other credit input mechanismsmay also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smartcard, debit card or credit card. A reading device may also be providedfor the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as partof a loyalty program. The player tracking device may be in the form of acard, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of beingread by the reading device.

A top box 56 may carry artwork 58, including for example pay tables anddetails of bonus awards and other information or images relating to thegame. Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a frontpanel 59 of the console 42. A coin tray 60 is mounted beneath the frontpanel 59 for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine 40.

The display 44 is in the form of a video display unit, particularly acathode ray tube screen device. Alternatively, the display 44 may be aliquid crystal display, plasma screen, any other suitable video displayunit. The top box 56 may also include a display, for example a videodisplay unit, which may be of the same type as the display 44, or of adifferent type.

The display 44 in this example is arranged to display representations ofseveral reels, each reel of which has several associated symbols.Typically 3, 4 or 5 reels are provided. During operation of the game,the reels first appear to rotate then stop with typically three symbolsvisible on each reel. Game outcomes are determined on the basis of thevisible symbols together with any special functions associated with thesymbols.

It will be understood that instead of providing a video display unitwhich displays representations of reels, actual reels may be used. Suchgaming machines including actual rotatable reels are commonly termedstepper machines.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of operative components of a typical gamingmachine 500 which may be the same as or different to the gaming machineshown in FIG. 4.

The gaming machine 500 includes a game controller 501 having a processor502. Instructions and data to control operation of the processor 502 inaccordance with the present invention are stored in a memory 503 whichis in data communication with the processor 502.

Typically, the gaming machine 500 will include both volatile andnon-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with suchmemories being collectively represented by the memory 503.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplarymemory 503. The memory 503 includes RAM 503A, EPROM 503B and a massstorage device 503C. The RAM 503A typically temporarily holds programfiles for execution by the processor 502 and related data. The EPROM503B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or gamerelated code. The mass storage device 503C is typically used to storegame programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/orauthenticated by the processor 502 using protected code from the EPROM503B or elsewhere.

The gaming machine has hardware meters 504 for purposes includingensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, aninput/output (I/O) interface 505 for communicating with a playerinterface 520 of the gaming machine 500, the player interface 520 havingseveral peripheral devices. The input/output interface 505 and/or theperipheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory forstoring associated instructions and data for use with the input/outputinterface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module513 generates random numbers for use by the processor 502.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral devices that communicatewith the game controller 501 comprise one or more displays 506, a touchscreen and/or bank of buttons 507, a card and/or ticket reader 508, aprinter 509, a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism 510 and a coinoutput mechanism 511. Additional hardware may be included as part of thegaming machine 500, or hardware may be omitted as required for thespecific implementation.

In addition, the gaming machine 500 may include a communicationsinterface, for example a network card 512. The network card may, forexample, send status information, accounting information or otherinformation to a central controller, server or database and receive dataor commands from the central controller, server or database.

It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine500 to be distributed, for example input/output devices 506, 507, 508,509, 510, 511 may be provided remotely from the game controller 501.

FIG. 7 shows a gaming system 700 in accordance with an alternativeembodiment. The gaming system 700 includes a network 701, which forexample may be an Ethernet network, a LAN or a WAN. In this example,three banks 703 of two gaming machines 702 are connected to the network701. The gaming machines 702 provide a player operable interface and maybe the same as the gaming machines 40, 500 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, ormay have simplified functionality depending on the requirements forimplementing game play. While banks 703 of two gaming machines areillustrated in FIG. 7, banks of one, three or more gaming machines arealso envisioned.

One or more displays 704 may also be connected to the network 701. Thedisplays 704 may, for example, be associated with one or more banks 703of gaming machines. The displays 704 may be used to displayrepresentations associated with game play on the gaming machines 702,and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional orinformational material.

In a thick client embodiment, a game server 705 implements part of thegame played by a player using a gaming machine 702 and the gamingmachine 702 implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as boththe game server 705 and the gaming machine 702 implement part of thegame, they collectively provide a game controller. A database managementserver 706 may manage storage of game programs and associated data fordownloading or access by the gaming devices 702 in a database 706A.Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in aJackpot game, a Jackpot server 707 will be provided to monitor and carryout the Jackpot game.

In a thin client embodiment, the game server 705 implements most or allof the game played by a player using a gaming machine 702 and the gamingmachine 702 essentially provides only the player interface. With thisembodiment, the game server 705 provides the game controller. The gamingmachine will receive player instructions, and pass the instructions tothe game server which will process them and return game play outcomes tothe gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gamingmachines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software thatprovides a player interface operable using standard computer input andoutput components.

Servers may also be provided to assist in the administration of thegaming system 700, including for example a gaming floor managementserver 708 and a licensing server 709 to monitor the use of licensesrelating to particular games. An administrator terminal 710 is providedto allow an administrator to monitor the network 701 and the devicesconnected to the network.

The gaming system 700 may communicate with other gaming systems, otherlocal networks such as a corporate network, and/or a wide area networksuch as the Internet, for example through a firewall 711.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with knowntechniques, functionality at the server side of the network may bedistributed over a plurality of different computers. For example,elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separateserver may be provided. For example, the game server 705 could run arandom number generator engine. Alternatively, a separate random numbergenerator server could be provided.

Referring to FIG. 8, an exemplary casino network system 800 includes aplurality of gaming terminals 810, 820, and 830 interconnected throughnetwork 840 to a slot accounting and/or player tracking system 850(hereinafter collectively referring to as a player tracking system),slot floor configuration manager 860 and certificate manager 870. Itshould be understood that, while the present description refers togaming terminals as “slot machines”, that gaming tables such asBlackjack, Pai Gow, Baccarat, multi-terminal gaming machines such asmulti-terminal roulette, Sik Bo, Poker, dice games, and others may alsobe included. As an example, a gaming table layout may be embodied as avideo display, and reconfiguration may be of a type to reconfigure thevideo layout to change the game to be played at the table, bonusfeatures, minimum and maximum bets and the like. Thus gaming terminal asused herein includes gaming tables as well. It should also be understoodthat configuration or reconfiguration of a gaming terminal includes bothan initial configuration and subsequent reconfiguration of the gamingterminal to download and/or otherwise provide (e.g., server-based) agame and/or other functionality to a player at the terminal.

Player tracking system 850 and slot floor configuration manager 860 areconnected to database server 880 via a communication link 885, which maybe integrated with or separate from the network 840. Slot floorconfiguration manager 860 and certificate manager 870 are connected togame database server 890 via a communication link 895 which may beintegrated with or separate from network 840. In an embodiment, thecasino network system 800 may be implemented in another gamingenvironment, such as a hotel, restaurant, theater, store, airport orother venue having one or more gaming systems.

System 800 also includes a system workstation 900, connected to network840. In addition, one or more self-service kiosks 910, and/or one ormore external systems 920 may be connected to network 840. Externalsystem 920 is connected to network 840 through firewall 925, and mayinclude a player workstation in a hotel room or other location externalto the casino, for example. One or more kiosks 910 may be used tofacilitate operations such as bulk wagering, slot ticket redemption,player card point redemption, change and/or currency dispensation,promotion redemption and/or issuance, advertising, information, eventand/or dining reservations and/or ticketing, etc. For example, one ormore kiosks 910 and/or external systems 920 may used to purchase and/orview sports scores, news, game announcements, weather, flightinformation, show times, specials, reward tickets, prize tickets,coupons, airline or show tickets, reservation confirmation, or otherinformation, for example. Additionally a player may be able to locatehis or her favorite games on the casino floor, restaurants or otherfacilities and/or services at a kiosk 910.

Gaming terminals 810, 820, and 830 include communications interfaces(CI) 815, 825, and 835 respectively, which communicate with network 840.In other embodiments, CI 815, 825, and 835 may instead communicate withplayer tracking system 850 via other system and/or method, such as aserial communications protocol. In an embodiment, CI 815, 825, and 835may be integrated into a game controller for gaming terminals 810, 820,and 830. Certain embodiments of a CI are described in more detail below.

Player tracking system 850 collects data from CI 815, 825, and 835 forpurposes of slot accounting, monitoring and security, and playertracking as is well known in the art. Player tracking system 850processes and stores said data in database 880. Additional informationregarding slot accounting and player tracking is described in moredetail below.

Slot floor configuration manager 860 receives information relevant toslot floor configuration management from player tracking system 850 anddatabase 880. For example, slot floor configuration manager 860 mayinclude an interface to player tracking system 850 to facilitatetransfer of information between manager 860 and tracking system 850. Inan embodiment, slot floor configuration manager 860 receives informationfrom a database separate from database 880 used by player trackingsystem 850. In an embodiment, slot floor configuration manager 860 mayreceive floor configuration information independent of player trackingsystem 850. Slot floor configuration manager 860 also may receiveinformation directly from gaming terminals 810, 820, 830. Gamingterminals 810, 820, 830 may be connected to slot floor configurationmanager 860 and/or player tracking system 850 via separate networks or acommon network, such as an Ethernet.

Slot floor configuration manager 860 processes information to determineand/or suggest configurations of gaming terminals on a gaming floor,such as a casino floor. Slot manager 860 reviews, adjusts, and approvessuggested floor configurations via system workstation 900. In anembodiment, players may be provided with an ability to select desiredgames to be played or downloaded to a terminal via CI 815, 825, and 835and/or gaming terminal 810, 820, and 830. Players may also review gameinformation or update their profiles via kiosk 910 or external system920, for example. In another embodiment the casino may have theauthority to “push” selected games to gaming terminals 810, 820 and 830and the player has no ability to select or override the selection. Inanother embodiment both the casino and the player have the ability toselect fro the available games.

System 800 may also include external system 930, which is connected tocertificate manager 870 via a dedicated, secure, communications link viafirewall 935, for example. External system 930 may be a workstation in agaming regulator's office, for example. In one embodiment, gamingregulators may monitor and manage game certificates on certificatemanager 870 via external system 930. Unless required by a particularjurisdiction, the certificate manager 870 and associated equipment andfunctions may not be required.

Certificate manager 870 is configured to allow access to games to becontrolled for a given gaming environment, such as governmentalregulators or gaming operators acting in compliance with gamingregulations. The certificate manager 870 may work with a certificatedatabase to control access to the game(s) being played. For example, thecertificate database may include encoded and encrypted digitalcertificates or other authentication/license indicators that tie togames in the game database on a one-to-one basis. In an embodiment, dueto the nature of the games and gaming terminals, a game may not beplayed unless a valid certificate for that game exists in thecertificate database. In an embodiment, a certificate is also mated to avenue, such as a casino or other gaming environment, so that a game maynot be played at another venue even if the game and certificate wereelectronically duplicated and moved to another venue.

In an embodiment, a certificate may also be mated to a binary image of agame file, such that a game may not be played if the binary image ismodified. If a modification or update of a game image is a result of anauthorized action, a new certificate may be issued by a regulator beforethe game may be played. Games lacking a valid certificate may be handleddifferently in a player's game catalog interface. In an embodiment,games lacking a valid certificate may be excluded from a playerselection interface altogether. In an alternate embodiment, gameslacking a valid certificate may be excluded from certain portions of aplayer catalog and/or visibly marked with an appropriate descriptivephrase such as “Pending approval for play in this casino”.

In an embodiment, certificates may be implemented such that the numberof concurrently playing games of a given title may be limited byregulators or a game provider, for example. In an embodiment,certificates may be implemented such that a number of concurrentlyplaying games from a given game provider is similarly limited. In anembodiment, the certificate database may be implemented to facilitate atotal number of games being concurrently played at a given venue, ifregulations enforce such a limit, for example.

In an embodiment, regulators have access to the certificate database,either through an interface local to a gaming environment or through aremote interface such as a web-based interface through a dedicated andencrypted network link between the venue and the regulator. Through thisinterface, the regulator may manage the certificate database to approvegames for play or similarly revoke approval of games, for example.

Thus, certain embodiments provide an improved system and method forconfiguration of gaming terminals in a gaming environment. Certainembodiments provide a system and method that allow customization anddynamic modification by an operator. Certain embodiments provideimproved reconfiguration of gaming terminals in gaming environment tooffer a variety of games and/or other options to players. Additionally,certain embodiments improve security, regulation and reliability ofgaming terminals and access to games by players. Certain embodimentsmonitor game play, player response, and configuration changes to affectconfiguration of a gaming environment. Certain embodiments provide animproved player experience through selectable games, feedback, and/orother preferences, for example. Certain embodiments allow progressive,mystery, bonusing and other gaming content to be added to gamingterminals. Certain embodiments allow an operator to manage sign ordisplay content and configuration, as well as gaming terminal softwareand firmware content and configuration. Thus, certain embodiments allowadaptable control and configuration of a gaming environment.

The components, elements, and/or functionality of the system(s)described above may be implemented alone or in combination in variousforms in hardware, firmware, and/or as a set of instructions insoftware, for example. Certain embodiments may be provided as a set ofinstructions residing on a computer-readable medium, such as a memory orhard disk, for execution on a general purpose computer or otherprocessing device.

Several embodiments are described above with reference to drawings.These drawings illustrate certain details of specific embodiments thatimplement the systems and methods and programs of the present invention.However, describing the invention with drawings should not be construedas imposing on the invention any limitations associated with featuresshown in the drawings. The present invention contemplates methods,systems and program products on any machine-readable media foraccomplishing its operations. As noted above, the embodiments of thepresent invention may be implemented using an existing computerprocessor, or by a special purpose computer processor incorporated forthis or another purpose or by a hardwired system.

As noted above, certain embodiments within the scope of the presentinvention include program products comprising machine-readable media forcarrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available mediathat can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer orother machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readablemedia may comprise RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code in the form of machine-executable instructions or datastructures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer or other machine with a processor. When information istransferred or provided over a network or another communicationsconnection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired orwireless) to a machine, the machine properly views the connection as amachine-readable medium. Thus, any such a connection is properly termeda machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executableinstructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions.

Certain embodiments of the invention are described in the generalcontext of method steps which may be implemented in one embodiment by aprogram product including machine-executable instructions, such asprogram code, for example in the form of program modules executed bymachines in networked environments. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.Machine-executable instructions, associated data structures, and programmodules represent examples of program code for executing steps of themethods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executableinstructions or associated data structures represent examples ofcorresponding acts for implementing the functions described in suchsteps.

Certain embodiments of the present invention may be practiced in anetworked environment using logical connections to one or more remotecomputers having processors. Logical connections may include a localarea network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) that are presented hereby way of example and not limitation. Such networking environments arecommonplace in office-wide or enterprise-wide computer networks,intranets and the Internet and may use a wide variety of differentcommunication protocols. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatsuch network computing environments will typically encompass many typesof computer system configurations, including personal computers,hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, and the like. Embodiments of the invention may also bepracticed in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (eitherby hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination of hardwired orwireless links) through a communications network. In a distributedcomputing environment, program modules may be located in both local andremote memory storage devices.

An exemplary system for implementing the overall system or portions ofcertain embodiments of the invention might include a general purposecomputing device in the form of a computer, including a processing unit,a system memory, and a system bus that couples various system componentsincluding the system memory to the processing unit. The system memorymay include read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). Thecomputer may also include a magnetic hard disk drive for reading fromand writing to a magnetic hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for readingfrom or writing to a removable magnetic disk, and an optical disk drivefor reading from or writing to a removable optical disk such as a CD ROMor other optical media. The drives and their associated machine-readablemedia provide nonvolatile storage of machine-executable instructions,data structures, program modules and other data for the computer.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principalsof the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled inthe art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments disclosedherein may be applied to the formation of a variety of gaming systems.Certain features of the embodiments of the claimed subject matter havebeen illustrated as described herein; however, many modifications,substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilledin the art. Additionally, while several functional blocks and relationsbetween them have been described in detail, it is contemplated by thoseof skill in the art that several of the operations may be performedwithout the use of the others, or additional functions or relationshipsbetween functions may be established and still be in accordance with theclaimed subject matter. It is, therefore, to be understood that theappended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changesas fall within the true spirit of the embodiments of the claimed subjectmatter.

Where the bulk wagering game includes player decisions such as videoPoker or a slot machine game where the player must make choices such asselections in a bonus game, the games for bulk wagering may bereconfigured such as by configuring the processor to implement decisionsaccording to one or more stored strategies. Where available such aswhere the player must make selections in a bonus game, the game may bereconfigured to randomly make such selections for implementation of thepresent invention.

While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described,it should be understood that these embodiments are subject to manymodifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. For example, it will be understood that theinvention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to allalternative combinations of two or more of the individual featuresmentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these differentcombinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention. Itwill also be understood that the term “comprises” (or its grammaticalvariants) as used in this specification is equivalent to the term“includes” and should not be taken as excluding the presence of otherelements or features.

1. A method for bulk play in a gaming environment, said methodcomprising: allowing a player to place a bulk play wager with a gamingdevice in a gaming environment; generating game play results via saidgaming device in accordance with said bulk play wager without displayingsaid game play results to the player at said gaming device as said gameplay results are being generated; providing an identification of saidgame play results for later use by the player; and storing said gameplay results for later replay based on said identification.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said gaming device comprises at least one ofa kiosk, an electronic gaming machine, and a wireless device.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said identification comprises at least one ofa bar code, a magnetic strip, a passcode to remotely stored data, abinary executable, and electronic data representing the game playresults.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising replaying saidgame play results for said player at a remote viewer.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein said player selects all or a subset of said game playresults to replay via said remote viewer.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein said remote viewer comprises a web browser and said playeraccesses said game play results for replay via a website using saididentification.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein said remote viewercomprises at least one of a personal computer, a personal digitalassistant, a television, a phone, and a kiosk.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising crediting winnings from said game play results to anaccount associated with said player.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinsaid account comprises at least one of a bank account, a player loyaltyaccount, a casino account, a hotel account, and a credit card account.10. The method of claim 8, wherein said winnings are not credited tosaid account until said game play results have been replayed by saidplayer.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said bulk play wagercomprises a number of plays of one or more specified games and a wageramount to be spent on the plays.
 12. A gaming system facilitating bulkwagering, game play generation, and later replay, said systemcomprising: a gaming device allowing a player to place a bulk play wagerfor bulk play and later replay of at least one game, said gaming devicegenerating game play results via said gaming device in accordance withsaid bulk play wager without displaying said game play results to theplayer at said gaming device as said game play results are beinggenerated; and an identification of said game play results, saididentification generated by said gaming device or a peripheralassociated with said gaming device to identify said game play resultsfor later use by the player, wherein said gaming device stores said gameplay results for later replay based on said identification.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein said gaming device comprises at least one ofa kiosk, an electronic gaming machine, and a wireless device.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein said identification comprises at least oneof a bar code, a magnetic strip, a passcode to remotely stored data, abinary executable, and electronic data representing the game playresults.
 15. The system of claim 12, further comprising a remote vieweradapted to replay said game play results for said player.
 16. The systemof claim 15, wherein said player selects all or a subset of said gameplay results to replay via said remote viewer.
 17. The system of claim15, wherein said remote viewer comprises a web browser and wherein saidplayer accesses said game play results for replay via a website usingsaid identification.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein said remoteviewer comprises at least one of a personal computer, a personal digitalassistant, a television, a phone, and a gaming device.
 19. The system ofclaim 12, wherein said gaming device credits winnings from said gameplay results to an account associated with said player.
 20. The systemof claim 19, wherein said account comprises at least one of a bankaccount, a player loyalty account, a casino account, a hotel account,and a credit card account.
 21. The system of claim 19, wherein saidwinnings are not credited to said account until said game play resultshave been replayed by said player.
 22. The system of claim 12, whereinsaid bulk play wager comprises a number of plays of one or morespecified games and a wager amount to be spent on the plays.
 23. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein said gaming device stores said game playresults at least one of a) in said identification, b) at a serveraccessible via a website, and c) at a server accessible via a gamingdevice.
 24. The system of claim 12, wherein said gaming device allowssaid player to place said bulk play wager remotely via a website.
 25. Acomputer readable medium having a set of instructions for execution on acomputer, said set of instructions comprising: an input module acceptinga bulk play wager by a player; a processing module generating game playresults in accordance with said bulk play wager without displaying saidgame play results to the player; and an outcomes module providing anidentification of said game play results for later use by the player,wherein said processing module stores said game play results for laterreplay based on said identification and verifies player authorization toreplay said game play results based on access by the player using saididentification, and wherein said processing module replays at least aportion of said game play results based on said identification.